Peter R Parham

Nanyang Technological University, Earth Observatory of Singapore (EOS), Senior Research Fellow, Climate and Sea Level Change

National University of Malaysia, Southeast Asia Disaster Prevention Research Initiative (SEADPRI),, Associate Fellow

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia - UTM, Centre of Tropical Geoengineering (GEOTROPIK),, International Fellow

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I am a coastal geologist focused on climate and sea level change and its impact on diverse sedimentary, coastal and estuarine systems. My life’s focus has been studying, appreciating, understanding and protecting our natural world and its resources. I have a great deal of resource, environmental, project, and research management experience in diverse sedimentary, tectonic and coastal terrains, and public lands. My PhD is in Coastal Resources Management/Geology and both my Bachelor and Master degrees are in Geology. These are strengthened by my US Marine Corps Reconnaissance experience, which has been an invaluable asset to my field work. I am a keen, observant naturalist and outdoorsman, with a honed understanding of natural processes.I currently design and direct climate change, sea level and tectonic framework projects. My work in SE Asia has allowed me to study rocky and sandy coastal systems and tectonic influences which directly correlate to analogous settings in other parts of the world.I am adept at understanding and evaluating modern coastal environments and sedimentary systems and finding solutions to contemporary challenges and environmental issues. I apply my understanding of how coastal landscapes develop and resources respond to environmental challenges and make predictions about how they are likely to evolve in the future. This provides a baseline for resource management and policy development. Most significantly, I help communities and policymakers anticipate and adapt to environmental, sea level and climate change, and resource sustainability.

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Jayjit Majumdar

University of Kalyani

Kim M Cohen

Utrecht University

Jose Ruben Guzman-Gutierrez

Universidad Humanista de las Americas

Gloria I. López

University of Haifa

Katherine Kanne

University College Dublin

Gabriel Gutierrez-Alonso

University of Salamanca

Wiley Evans

Vancouver Island University

María Antonieta Lorente

Universidad Central de Venezuela

Eszter Banffy

Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Beverly Goodman

University of Haifa

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Papers by Peter R Parham

Assessing the chronostratigraphy of late Pleistocene and Holocene coastal lithosomes using optically stimulated luminescence techniques: intriguing results from North Carolina and Florida

The Holocene Foraminiferal Record of Northeastern North Carolina as a Harbinger of Future Coastal Change

2009 Portland GSA …, 2009

CULVER, Stephen J. 1, MALLINSON, David J. 1, RIGGS, Stanley R. 1, PARHAM, Peter R. 1, CORBETT, Re... more

Geochemical Evidence of Holocene East Asian Monsoon Variability from Sunda Shelf, South China Sea Sediments

ABSTRACT The East Asian Monsoon (EAM) delivers vital rainfall to heavily populated, agriculturall... more ABSTRACT The East Asian Monsoon (EAM) delivers vital rainfall to heavily populated, agriculturally dependent regions in Southeast Asia. Changes in EAM strength and duration influence precipitation and wind patterns, continental runoff, sea circulation, and nutrient transport in the South China Sea (SCS) and surrounding terrain. The SCS has been the focus of many paleoclimatological studies due to its central location to the EAM system. Most research has been conducted in the deep, northern SCS because of the high sedimentation rates there. The southern SCS, specifically the Sunda Shelf, has yet to yield a monsoon record due to its very thin sedimentary cover. However, flooded and in-filled fluvial paleochannels on the Sunda Shelf in the southern SCS provide an extended record of EAM-driven climate change. In 2008, mud-dominated piston cores D42 (3.88 m long, 52.33 m water depth) and D45 (2.68 m long, 62.51 m water depth) were collected in fluvial paleochannels on the Sunda Shelf approximately 80 km northwest of Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia. Twenty-nine AMS radiocarbon age estimates of the benthic foraminifer Cavarotalia annectens provide age control. Core D45, collected on the edge of a v-shaped paleochannel, yields a ca. 7,000 year record, while core D42, collected in a shallower paleochannel, reflects ca. 3,000 years of accumulation. Mg/Ca ratios of planktonic foraminifera Globigerinoides ruber and Globigerinoides sacculifer, in combination with δ18O of G. ruber, allow for the analysis of sea surface temperature and salinity trends that may be related to EAM variability. Temperatures were calculated from Mg/Ca values using a warm water, multi-species approach. δ18Oseawater was calculated from temperature and δ18Ocalcite using a high light equation. Finally, these values were transformed into salinities. Additionally, stable carbon isotopic analysis of both G. ruber and C. annectens provides information regarding continental runoff as well as surface and bottom water mixing.

Sediment analysis and modelling reveal short inundation distances and low onshore flow speed of the 2018 Palu-Donggala tsunami in Indonesia

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Bulk magnetic susceptibility of Holocene sediment in the Malacca Strait, off northwestern Peninsular Malaysia

The Quaternary evolution of Herndon Bay, a Carolina Bay on the Coastal Plain of North Carolina (USA): implications for paleoclimate and oriented lake genesis

Geological investigations of Herndon Bay, a Carolina bay in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina (... more Geological investigations of Herndon Bay, a Carolina bay in the Coastal Plain of North Carolina (USA), provide evidence for rapid basin scour and migration during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 3 of the late Pleistocene. LiDAR data show a regressive sequence of sand rims that partially backfill the remnant older portions of the bay, with evidence for basin migration more than 600 meters to the northwest. Basin migration was punctuated by periods of stability and construction of a regressive sequence of sand rims with basal muddy sands incorporated into the oldest rims. Single grain OSL ages place the initial formation of each sand rim from oldest to most recent as ca. 36.7 +/-4.1, 29.6 +/-3.1, and 27.2 +/-2.8 ka. These ages indicate that migration and rim construction was coincident with MIS 3 through early MIS 2, a time of rapid oscillations in climate. The fact that Carolina bay basins can migrate, yet maintain their characteristic shape

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Antecedent topographical controls on Quaternary Deposition in a tributary estuarine system, Croatan Sound, Northeastern North Carolina, Paper # 59-2

Valley-fill versus interfluve: Quaternary depositional patterns resulting from sea-level fluctuation, northeastern North Carolina

Holocene sedimentary record from the northeastern Malacca Strait: insight from bulk magnetic susceptibility analysis

Regional correlation of the Holocene sedimentary record, Sunda Shelf, South China Sea

Optical dating of Thirteen Mile beach ridge near Apalachacola, northwestern Florida, USA

Relative sea-level changes recorded by coral microatolls above the Manila trench in Ilocos region (West Luzon, Philippines)

European geosciences union general assembly, 2018

Due to oblique convergence, Luzon is a region of complex deformation, where megathrust and upper-... more Due to oblique convergence, Luzon is a region of complex deformation, where megathrust and upper-plate faults coexist. Little is known about the seismic potential of the Manila trench that faces the west coast of Luzon. To assess seismic hazard in western Luzon, we are investigating coral microatolls. Coral microatolls record relative sea-level (RSL) changes with centimetric accuracy, which can be used to infer vertical deformation, and hence the history of strain accumulation and relief along the megathrust through multiple seismic cycles. By combining microatoll records, observations of uplifted terraces, and geodetic data, we hope to gain information about megathrust segmentation, as well as interseismic coupling and its variability through time.

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Mg/Ca Inferred Paleotemperature During the Mid-‐ to Late Holocene from the Sunda Shelf, South China Sea

Late Cenozoic relative sea-level highstand record from Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysian Borneo: Implications for vertical crustal movements

Bulletin of the Geological Society of Malaysia, 2016

In order to predict the manner in which global sea-level change will impact the wide variety of c... more In order to predict the manner in which global sea-level change will impact the wide variety of coastal conditions and communities in Malaysia, this study sought to gain insight into the vertical components that determine the relationship between the coastal land areas of Malaysia and changes in sea level over time periods of 10 6 to 10 2 years. This was a regional-scale, reconnaissance-level field survey of the Malaysian coasts, coastal plains, most islands and many river systems to determine the presence, absence and spatial variability of evidence for late Pliocene-Quaternary sea level(s) higher than present. In Peninsular Malaysia, no conclusive evidence was found to indicate that RSL was ever higher than the mid-Holocene maximum during the late Cenozoic. This indicates long-term (10 4 to 10 6 yrs) subsidence for at least the coastal parts of the region. Superimposed on this long-term subsidence are eustatic rise and continental levering associated with hydro-isostatic adjustment (HIA) over time scales of 10 2 to 10 3 yrs. In areas where HIA appears to be in equilibrium (e.g. NE Peninsular Malaysia), long-term subsidence and eustatic rise are the dominant factors influencing RSL change, resulting in increased flooding and coastal erosion. These detrimental effects are commonly exacerbated by anthropogenic activities. Along much of the remainder of the Peninsular Malaysia coast, uplift associated with HIA appears to continue, counterbalancing eustatic rise and resulting in little net change in RSL. This, in tandem with abundant sediment supply, has resulted in generally prograding coasts in areas minimally influenced by anthropogenic modifications. The RSL record of Malaysian Borneo is much more complex, even in western Sarawak, which is situated on supposedly stable Sundaland. Possible strandplain deposits overlying coarse alluvium in the Kuching area could reflect last interglacial highstand deposition but more likely result from uplift or eolian reworking of alluvial deposits. This alluvium, along with similar deposits associated with the Kayan and Rajang rivers, clearly represents deposition under very different environmental conditions than present. Ongoing subsidence of the peatland-dominated coastal plain, from Kuching to Bintulu, is probably mainly due to sediment loading. North of the Lupar Line, RSL histories are mainly the product of tectonism and differential movement of the upper crust. The coast and interior from Bintulu, Sarawak to Bongawan, Sabah, has undergone Quaternary uplift, probably episodic and differential, with the most recent uplift event in the Miri area during the early mid-Holocene. Relative vertical stability is suggested for mid-Holocene to present. Geomorphic indicators and lack of emergent RSL indicators along the western Sabah coast, north of Bongawan, suggest ongoing subsidence. The RSL record from eastern Sabah is exceedingly complex with, sometimes close-spaced, areas with different histories of movement over time scales of 10 1 to 10 6 yrs.

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Sea-surface temperatures for the last 7200 years from the eastern Sunda Shelf, South China Sea: Climatic inferences from planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca ratios

Quaternary Science Reviews, 2017

To test whether low latitude shallow shelf deposits can provide high resolution paleoclimatic rec... more To test whether low latitude shallow shelf deposits can provide high resolution paleoclimatic records, we utilized two cores from the Holocene sedimentary fill of incised valleys on the Sunda Shelf off Sarawak, Malaysia. We developed a new sea surface temperature (SST) record based on planktonic foraminiferal Mg/Ca for the last 7200 years. This record reveals several significant shifts between warmer and colder conditions. Temperatures averaged 27.5°C ca. 7200 cal. years BP, then climbed to 28.2°C from 6500-5500 cal. years BP. At 5500-4500 cal. years BP we identified the coldest period (26.8 °C) of the analyzed period. For the last 4500 years SST again averaged 27.5°C but the profile is rather variable. The last ca. 1000 years recorded the warmest SST averaging 28.5°C. We record, for the first time in this region, a cool interval, ca. 1000 years in duration, centered on 5000 cal years BP concomitant with a wet period recorded in Borneo. The record also reflects a warm interval from ca. 1000 to 500 cal years BP that may represent the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Variations in the East Asian Monsoon (EAM) and solar activity are considered as potential drivers of SST trends. However, hydrology changes related to the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability, shifts of the Western Pacific Warm Pool and migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone are more likely to have impacted our SST temporal trend. Our findings indicate that climatic patterns in the region might be in phase with ENSO and out of phase with the EAM.

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Geological investigation and optical dating of Quaternary siliciclastic sediments near Apalachicola, North-west Florida, USA

Sedimentology, 2012

ABSTRACT Ground penetrating radar and single-aliquot regenerative-dose optically stimulated lumin... more ABSTRACT Ground penetrating radar and single-aliquot regenerative-dose optically stimulated luminescence were used to determine the depositional environments and age of unconsolidated siliciclastic sediments near Apalachicola, Florida. Five direct-push cores, five vibracores and 28 optically stimulated luminescence samples were collected, as well as 7 km of ground penetrating radar data. A new model of cosmic dose rate calculation, which removes the effect of a much younger aeolian cap, was utilized to calculate more representative optically stimulated luminescence ages. Five radar facies were identified based on reflector amplitude and orientation. The resulting data indicate that the Tertiary/Quaternary Shelly Sediments were deposited before marine isotope stage 6, the Quaternary Alluvium was deposited during marine isotope stage 6 and the Quaternary Beach Ridge and Dune was deposited during the marine isotope stage 5e sea-level highstand, which peaked at approximately 2AE5 m above present sea-level in this area.

Rapid Scour, Sand Rim Construction, and Basin Migration of a Carolina Bay in Southeastern North Carolina

Ongoing geomorphological fieldwork at Herndon Bay in northern Robeson County, North Carolina, has... more Ongoing geomorphological fieldwork at Herndon Bay in northern Robeson County, North Carolina, has revealed evidence for rapid bay basin scour and landform migration. LiDAR data show a regressive sequence of sand rims that partially backfill the remnant older bay basin, with bay migration of more than 600 meters to the northwest. Similarly, other bays in the region show evidence of significant migration. A series of Geoprobe® cores (n=4), basal OSL samples (n=3), and GPR data were collected along transects that cross-cut multiple bay sand rims along the bays southeastern margin. Cores were subsequently analyzed to determine basic lithologies, grain-size statistics of lithologic units (i.e., lithofaces), and magnetic susceptibly. These data, along with GPR data and OSL age estimates are used to reconstruct landform geomorphology and provide a geochronology for bay rim development. Evidence suggests bay migration, including scouring of the underlying mud facies. This migration is punct...

A Record of Holocene Paleoclimate from the Sunda Shelf, South China Sea

ABSTRACT The East Asian Monsoon (EAM), driven by differential heating between the continent and a... more ABSTRACT The East Asian Monsoon (EAM), driven by differential heating between the continent and adjacent ocean, is a critical element of global atmospheric circulation and strongly influences wind patterns, precipitation, sea circulation, continental runoff, and nutrient transport to the South China Sea and surrounding land regions. Changes in EAM strength and duration can cause severe droughts and floods in these heavily populated areas. Late Pleistocene and Holocene monsoon patterns for the region have been reconstructed by applying various geochemical approaches to sediment cores from the deep South China Sea. However, this is one of the first studies to provide a record of Holocene climate from the shallow Sunda Shelf in the southern South China Sea. Two mud-dominated sediment cores were collected from flooded, north-south trending fluvial paleochannels on the inner Sunda shelf north of Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia. Given the rarity of planktonic foraminifera in this shallow water (52–63 m water depth), AMS radiocarbon age estimates of the benthic foraminifer Cavarotalia annectens provide age control for the cores. A total of 19 samples, spaced 20 cm apart, were dated in core D42. This core, 3.8 meters in length, yields a detailed record of over 3000 years. Fifteen samples, ca. 16 cm apart, were dated in core D45, 2.6 meters in length. This core, collected from a slightly deeper location on the shelf, provides a record of over 7000 years. Contiguous, 2 cm samples provide a ca. 20-year resolution in D42 and a ca. 50-year resolution in D45. Mg/Ca ratios, δ13C and δ18O of planktonic foraminifera (Globigerinoides spp.) are being analyzed to define variations in sea surface temperature, salinity, and nutrients. These factors are related to changes in precipitation and runoff and thus provide information on past characteristics of the EAM.

Astronomical tidal regime change as a control on the Holocene development of an organic-rich coastal zone, North Carolina, USA

ABSTRACT Sediment core and age data from the Al-ligator River tributary of Albemarle Sound, North... more ABSTRACT Sediment core and age data from the Al-ligator River tributary of Albemarle Sound, North Carolina suggest that coastal geomor-phology-dependent variations in the astro-nomical tidal regime played a key role in the Holocene development of this presently nano-tidal estuarine system. The low lying, peatland-dominated study area is surround-ed on three sides by drowned tributaries of the Alligator River estuarine system and un-derlain by a late Pleistocene topographic high. During the last glacial stage (MIS 2), drainage systems became established on the emergent terrain. As Holocene sea level rose, stream valleys became progressively inun-dated with concomitant up-gradient migra-tion of wetlands. With open interchange between paleo-Albemarle Sound and the At-lantic Ocean, sea level was sufficiently high ca. 3 ka to produce bay/tidal ravinement in-land of the present peatland shoreline. Grad-ual closure of the coastal barrier-island system (the Outer Banks) within the last ap-proximately 2.5 ka resulted in decreasing as-tronomical tides, decreasing salinity, and marsh progradation seaward over the earli-er Holocene ravinement surface with con-current peat accumulation. Within the last ca. 1 ka, fresh to low-brackish marsh was re-placed by forested wetlands in response to further barrier-island closure and elimina-tion of astronomical tides as swamp-forest woody peat continued to vertically accumu-late in response to rising base level.

Geologic investigation and optical dating of the Merritt Island Sand Ridge sequence, Eastern Florida, USA

ABSTRACT Ground penetrating radar (GPR) and the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) was used t... more ABSTRACT Ground penetrating radar (GPR) and the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) was used to determine the depositional envi-ronments and age of the Merritt Island sand ridge sequence. Five direct-push cores and ten OSL ages were collected. A new model of cosmic dose rate calculation, which removes the much younger aeolian cap, was utilized for the first time and helped produce more consistent OSL ages. Based on our data and samples, the Merritt Island sand ridges are a classic beach ridge set that was deposited during the MIS-5c sea-level highstand. This is supported by the results of Osmond (1970) based on U/Th ages and Burdette et al. (2009) based on OSL ages of a coquinoid limestone west of the beach ridge sequence.

Assessing the chronostratigraphy of late Pleistocene and Holocene coastal lithosomes using optically stimulated luminescence techniques: intriguing results from North Carolina and Florida

The Holocene Foraminiferal Record of Northeastern North Carolina as a Harbinger of Future Coastal Change

2009 Portland GSA …, 2009

CULVER, Stephen J. 1, MALLINSON, David J. 1, RIGGS, Stanley R. 1, PARHAM, Peter R. 1, CORBETT, Re... more

Geochemical Evidence of Holocene East Asian Monsoon Variability from Sunda Shelf, South China Sea Sediments